Ad exec calls for total tobacco ad ban now

July 1 marks deadline for tobacco ads

An advertising executive and at the same time, a tobacco control advocate calls on the tobacco industry, the local government units, and those involved in tobacco advertising, to stop tobacco advertising immediately as the July 1 deadline on tobacco ad approaches.

“In light of the tobacco ad ban provided in RA 9211, the tobacco industry, and everyone involved in the enforcement of the law, ought to put a stop to advertising. We wish to remind everyone of the ban on tobacco advertisements, which shall have been already enforced as we speak,” Roberto del Rosario said in a statement. “The law must be followed and respected, and not circumvented by trying to invent other forms of advertising.”

Del Rosario issued the statement in light of the deadline for all forms of tobacco advertising in mass media tomorrow, July 1, 2008, as provided for in Section 22 of Republic Act 9211 (Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003).

He said only a total tobacco ad ban would save millions of Filipino youth from tobacco-related diseases now and in the future.

“Tobacco advertising is fooling our youth, making them think they need smoking, or cigarettes for that matter,” Del Rosario explained. “There are already four million young Filipinos who smoke—we don’t want this number to increase, but instead protect our millions of children. That is why a total ad ban is imperative.”

According to Del Rosario, the psychology of advertising is to lead the target market to think a particular product or service, in this case tobacco or cigarettes, can fulfill a need. “Smoking has never been or will never be a need, for the youth and for anyone else,” he said.

Moreover, he said while the ban should have already been in place, a particular survey showed otherwise.

A school-based survey of students in grades 2-4 by the Philippines Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) in 2003 and in 2007 saw a 0.3% increase in children who saw pro-cigarette ads on billboards and a 3.1% increase in children who saw pro-cigarette ads in newspapers or magazines in the past 30 days.

Earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed alarm over tobacco marketing aimed at getting half a billion young people in the Western Pacific Region into cigarette smoking.

“The obvious reason is because we want to save lives, especially our children. Advertising convinces the people to smoke,” Del Rosario explained. “We all know that smoking-related deaths run into the millions worldwide according to the WHO. Twenty thousand Filipinos die every year because of smoking according to the Department of Health.”

“We panic and feel sorry when there are 1000 deaths due to floods or any natural disasters. Our reaction is…send help, donate food, donate medicine. Yet when it comes to 20,000 people dead due to smoking, wala tayong ginagawa. Hindi tayo gumagalaw. Parang wala tayong pakialam,” he added.

Del Rosario said he believes tobacco advertising is untruthful, saying it is contrary to the advertising industry’s position of ‘truth in advertising.’ He added that tobacco advertising misleads the public into believing that tobacco is good and very pleasant.

“If you notice, print advertisements tell about a very enjoyable lifestyle, people having fun; when in fact, the tobacco industry is aware that tobacco smoke causes life agonizing ailments like emphysema, lung cancer, etc. Are these enjoyable and is this a true symbol of a very pleasant lifestyle? It is sad that the tobacco industry is looking for replacement smokers to those who have already died,” Del Rosario lamented.

“The total and comprehensive ban on all types of advertising whether TV, print, radio, below-the-line activities, merchandising in any form, should be enforced immediately,” he said.

“Is saving 20,000 lives a year worth it?” Del Rosario asked. “Please remember that 1 of the 20,000 maybe your wife, husband, son, daughter, father, mother. And remember, second hand smoke also can kill.” (end)